


I can't breathe without you

by JoyBooth



Series: I can't [2]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-12
Updated: 2017-07-14
Packaged: 2018-12-01 10:25:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 15,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11484426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoyBooth/pseuds/JoyBooth
Summary: The team has a week off. Will it give Skye and Ward time to finally figure their stuff out? Written during season one, cross posted from ff because I am linking all the stories in this AU I made up.





	1. Ignoring

Skye and Ward had ignored a lot in the beginning.

At first it was nothing, just a look that lingered a moment too long, or sitting just a little too close on the couch. But before long it was an arm around her shoulder, a hand on the small of her back, her gentle kiss goodnight on his cheek, his on her forehead. They were close. They were friends. They were part of a team that did not allow fraternization between members. So they ignore things.

She didn't comment when he rubbed the aches from her shoulders after a tough training session. He didn't seem surprised when she brought him a cup of coffee (just the way he liked it) while he is working on paperwork. It was a comfortable companionship, and if either woke in the night calling the other's name, who would know.

They didn't date other people because who has the time when you go to sleep in London and wake up in Peru. They played board games together because they are bored and neither really got to as children. More and more, they are rationalizing their interactions. Until the day that the line was blown to hell.

It was a night like any other. They had returned from a routine mission, shared a drink, played a game of slap jack, and were saying goodnight when it happened. He always walked her to her bunk at night. Not because he liked to make sure she got tucked in, but because their bunks where side by side. At least that's what they told themselves.

"Next time I pick the game, Robot, you're reflexes are an unfair advantage."

"You say unfair, I say strategy, but just so you don't pout, you can pick tomorrow," he smiled, brushing thumb over her pouting lips.

Skye felt a shock from the contact, but she ignored it, she was good at ignoring it.

"Well, I better hit the rack..." she smiled excitedly, "see, already getting the lingo."

"Yeah, you are a real buckle polisher, aren't you Rook?" he chuckled.

"Only for you," she joked, leaning up to give him her usual goodnight kiss. But instead of his cheek, her kiss landed softly on his neck.

When she had leaned in, he had automatically wrapped his arms around her, but when Ward felt her lips on his neck, his pulse quickened and he put all his considerable will power into waiting for her to pull away. She always pulled away, that was the deal. They never got too close.

One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi,

Another kiss closer to his ear.

Four Mississippi, five Mississippi...

Warm breath rushing down his back as she nuzzled his neck.

"Sweet dreams, Grant..." she whispered.

And in that moment she broke him, just like she had the first day in interrogation. There was nothing left to do but take the next step into her bunk, pull the screen closed and kiss her senseless.

The next morning Skye woke up and checked the time, 7 am. Damn, her body was starting to get used to the early morning work outs Ward usually required of her. She smiled at the thought of Ward, and looked around, but the room was empty. If it weren't for the fact that she had woken up naked, she would have thought that she imagined the whole night.

Knowing that any minute someone could come knocking, this was a Bus full of early risers, motivated her to get moving.

"Having a bit of a lay-in today, Skye?" Jemma asked when Skye made it to the kitchenette.

Skye rolled her eyes and turned to the coffee maker. SHIELD agents were the only people she knew who thought having breakfast at 7:30 am was sleeping in. She had just sat down at the table, when Ward came in obviously fresh from a work out. Well, maybe fresh wasn't the right word, as he was covered in sweat.

"Glad to see that you are giving our fair Skye a break from training, finally." Fitz commented, before munching a toast point.

"She put in some good work yesterday, she earned it." Ward replied smoothly. He turned to Skye and gave her a wink, which caused her to choke on her Cocoa Puffs. When she finally stopped coughing, Ward had gone, but she wasn't worried. That wink had told her that whatever this thing was between them, it was private, and it wasn't going to stop.

And it didn't. Months went by, with Ward walking her to bed and 'tucking her in', and if anybody noticed a change, they didn't comment on it. After all, as long as it didn't affect the work, why should they care?

Everything was perfect until they got a week off.


	2. A week off

It was the first time that the team had more than a day off since they had all boarded the Bus for Peru. Skye was excited. She was thinking of all the fun things that she and Ward would get to do. They could sleep in late, maybe go to a concert or at least a club. They could go on a date!

Grant was nervous. He had fallen in love with Skye, but he was unsure how their relationship would work outside of the closed environment of the Bus. They had discussed plans when they found out about the upcoming vacation days, but actually taking Skye to his apartment was a whole other story. In the past, he had always spent time at his girlfriend place. Unfortunately, his current girlfriend had gone from living in a van, to living on the bus, so that was not an option, even though Skye loved to tease him about it.

"Come on, Grant," she teased, laying naked on his chest after a nice tucking in, "You know you want to help me break in the van."

"Absolutely not," he insisted. "I would probably end up breaking your precious equipment."

"Well, fine then," She pouted.

"We could get a hotel."

"Why would we do that if you have an apartment?"

"It's just that… my apartment isn't exactly what you think of as homey," he explained.

"I'm shocked," she replied sarcastically.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means everyone else has things in their bunk, Coulson has his old collectibles and stuff, and Jemma has her tea set and Fitz has his movie collection, and I don't know what May has because she keeps her bunk closed, but you, you have clothes and essentials. Nothing that says anything about who you are," she explained.

Ward didn't say anything, he didn't know how to respond. He had been trained to live a minimalist life style. Take only what you need. The things that the rest of the team clung to for comfort, well he just didn't have anything like that.

"It's not a bad thing," Skye said, trying to reassure him. "I didn't have much growing up. I had a few changes of clothes, a tooth brush and a hair brush. I didn't come to the orphanage with anything, and the nuns could only provide essentials."

Ward looked around her bunk, a hula girl, three laptops, clothes coming out of the dresser, and shoes sticking out from under the bed. It was lived in, but there was an order to it. Everything she owned could be packed up in a matter of minutes. Maybe things would be okay, they weren't that different really, just saw the world differently.

They left together, but so did Fitz and Simmons, so no one commented. The first night went well. They stopped by the store on the way, to get essentials, pop tarts and ramen for Skye, power bars and bananas for Grant. They arrived at his place. It was sparse, but suitable. Skye ordered a pizza, while Grant started some laundry. It was nice, domestic.

That night they took full advantage of the privacy and space, being at his apartment afforded.

"See, isn't this nicer than your van?" he teased, as their sweat cooled after an enthusiastic bout of love making.

"You don't have free wi-fi," she said wistfully.

"We're only going to be here a week," he whined, not wanting set up yet another useless utility.

"Its fine, Grant. I'm teasing. I'm a hacker. Free Wi-fi is everywhere if you know the right code."

"You're not stealing it, are you?" he asked in horror.

She laughed, "Can you really steal something that should be free?"

"Yes, yes you can and I would get in trouble, because this is my place," he sat up exasperated.

"You are too easy to crank up," she laughed harder, "I didn't steal it. I have a roaming account. I just set up my receiver, and I am pretty sure I could hack from Antarctica."

"You, Skye, are mean," he sighed in relief, turning run his hands up her body, tickling her ribs, and extracting uncontrollable giggles.

"Stop, stop please, I will be nice, I promise," she gasped out between peels of laughter.

"You better," he whispered, before kissing her again.


	3. It's only a week

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For two people who are used to living alone, adjustments must be made.

Skye woke to the sound of someone pounding into a heavy bag. She checked the time on her phone, it was quarter past too damn early for this sh*t. She put in her earbuds, turned on the music and drowned out the sounds of her boyfriend's early morning work-out.

After several more hours in the land of nod, she was pulled to consciousness again by the sound of her boyfriend.

"Skye, come on you aren't going to sleep all day, are you?" Grant gave her shoulder a shake.

"Time?" she mumbled squeezing her eyes shut.

"It's already nine thirty."

"Wake me up at noon," She replied rolling over and cuddling into his pillow.

"I thought we had plans," he asked.

"Night plans," she moaned, "date, movie, dinner, club, night things,"

"Fine," he replied flatly, getting up to leave the room.

Thirty seconds later, when she stumbled out of the bedroom in his t-shirt and her panties, he was showered, dressed, and heading out the door.

"Where are you going?" she asked stumbling toward the kitchen.

"I figured if you were going to sleep, I should get some things done," he replied.

"What things?" she asked grabbing an iced coffee from the fridge.

"Are you staying up?"

"When I leave the bed, I'm up, now that you have interrupted my beauty sleep, you're leaving?" she pretended to pout.

Grant slipped his coat off. "You still look beautiful," he smiled moving to kiss her good morning, which lead to them ending up back in bed an hour later.

"Where were you going?" Skye asked. She was tucked into his side, enjoying the heat his body radiated.

"Just running errands," he replied vaguely.

"Well, do you want me to go with you?" she asked.

"I was thinking we could go to the museum."

"…okay"

"It's not all super old paintings, will you just trust me?" Grant sighed at her reluctance. He a morning person. He wanted to get up in the morning and get his day started, even though being in bed at almost noon today, didn't bother him. He wasn't the type to go clubbing, unless the mission called for that. So he had planned an outing that was more suited to him.

"Alright, fine, just let me get dressed," she grumbled, crossing the room to the duffle bag of her belongings.

"You know, there is space in the closet and an empty drawer, you don't have to live out of that bag," he offered.

"We are only here for a week," she replied, disappearing into the bathroom.

"How much longer are you going to be up?" Grant asked it was nearly midnight and he was ready for bed, but he couldn't sleep with the electronic glow and constant sound of keystrokes coming from the other side of the bed.

"Am I keeping you up?" she asked, looking over at him for the first time in an hour.

"A little bit, yeah,"

"Sorry, I'm going to go grab some of that left over Thai from the fridge and finish this real quick," she pressed a kiss to his lips before leaving the room, only to pop back in again. "You were right, that museum was pretty cool, by the way."

Grant smiled happily, before rolling over and trying to get some sleep.

He woke several hours later and was surprised to still be alone in bed.

"Skye?" he called, but there was no answer. He got up and went into the living room but she was nowhere to be seen. He walked all around the apartment looking for her, only to find her sitting on the floor of his closet, laptop on her lap, head leaned against the wall, sound asleep. He went to take her laptop and put it away, but this woke her.

"Gaaa, what time is it?"

"Close to three I imagine, why are you sleeping in my closet?"

"The living room is too big, I can't feel it moving," she mumbled, taking his hand to go back to his room.

"It's not moving," he replied.

"Exactly," she said putting her computer on the nightstand and snoring within seconds of her head hitting the pillow.

Grant shook his head, he knew there would be some bumps in the road, but Skye never ceased to surprise him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should note that this is totally inspired by my husband and I. He is a total morning person and jumps out bed ready to hit the gym at 6 every morning, while I am usually up until 2 or 3am and once and while we cross paths as I am going to sleep and he is waking up.


	4. Settling in

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ward has a plan to make the morning a little easier.

The next morning, went much the same as the first. Grant was up early. Skye covered her head with a pillow and went back to sleep, but this time he had a plan. When he came in at nine to try to wake her, he brought a fresh hot caramel latte from the Starbucks down the street.

"Skye, wakey, wakey,"

"Time?"

"0900,"

"Do I smell coffee?" she asked from under the pillow.

"Maybe?" he smiled, knowing his plan had worked.

She pulled the pillow back and peaked out at him, "You went to Starbucks for me?" she grinned.

"There may even be a scone in the kitchen," he offered. Her eyes lit up. She took the coffee, kissed his cheek, thanked him and ran to the kitchen.

She was sitting on the kitchen counter, munching the scone, when he found her.

"Did you eat?" she asked.

"Yeah, at 0700," he replied.

"Do you want a bite? It's really good," she offered.

"Maybe…" he hummed moving to between her legs, "I was think about something else though,"

"Well, surely I have no idea what you are talking about, sir," she used her southern accent, putting the scone down to fan herself.

He smiled wolfishly, before leaning in to kiss her intensely.

"My coffee's cold now," she complained, when they finally separated a long while later.

"You drink iced coffee all the time," he returned.

"Yeah, but it was sweet of you to go get me a coffee, and then I don't even get to enjoy it. Do we have plans again?" she asked curiously.

"I thought we could go for a walk, and later maybe a nice dinner, fancy dress, suit, tie, that whole thing," he offered with feigned nonchalance. He was actually nervous about their first real date.

"I don't know that you could pull off a dress," she teased.

"That walk just turned into a 3 mile jog," he razzed.

"Do robots have a jog setting?" she joked.

"Ok, five mile run it is," he countered.

"I can think of something else we could do to stretch our muscles," she batted her eyes seductively.

He raised a questioning eyebrow to her.

"Yoga! I used to take a pick up class not far from here," she said excitedly.

He looked momentarily surprised.

"Why? What did you think I was implyin', sir? Surely, you didn't think I was implying anything of a lascivious nature?" she teased, drawing out the word lascivious in such a way that Grant almost shivered with excitement.

"You madam, are a tease, and I will not have it," he threw her over his shoulder carting her back to bed, while she giggled all the way. They did go for a run that afternoon, though.


	5. First Date

Later that night, they went out to dinner at a candlelit restaurant. She looked gorgeous in a black lace dress that made her skin appear to glow in contrast. He was breath taking in a well-fitting suit that reminded her of the first time she had ever seen him, right before he put the bag over her head.

It was their first real date, and they were both secretly nervous. They had spent so much time together and had so many moments, but this was different. Sitting at the table, menus in hand, they felt awkward. This wasn't burgers in the back of the van. This was saying something. This was them announcing to the world that they were together and that scared the heck out of them.

"What are you going to have?" she asked, trying to maintain a normal conversation.

"The lamb," he replied, "You?"

"I don't know the chicken sounds good, but so does the filet." she replied, flipping through the menu for a sixth time. Grant wished she would just make a decision already, so they could order. He was starving, and she was just sitting there looking complete irresistible, flipped through the menu like the right decision would solve world hunger.

"Have you decided?" the waiter asked, with obvious impatience in his voice.

"Yes, I'll have the lamb medium rare, and she'll have the chicken," he decided to order, just make the irritating waiter go away.

Skye just stared at him for a long moment. "Why did you do that?"

"You like chicken better," he answered as if he knew her better than she knew herself. "You always sneak bites of mine when you pick steak, so I just wanted to make it simple."

Skye was shocked by how sure he was that he knew her, knew what she wanted. After a long while, they both started to worry about the lull in conversation. They had agreed not to talk about work during their break, but that was pretty much all either of them had in their lives. They wouldn't discuss family, and they had little free time for fun.

"What was that about last night?" Grant finally asked, after their salads were taken away.

"I got on the tail of this hacker AC asked me to keep an eye out for, we aren't supposed to be monitoring him, but since I'm just a consultant…" she saw him grimace and assumed it was because she was talking about work. "Sorry, I know we said we wouldn't talk about work, but you asked." she explained.

"That wasn't what I meant," he said. She looked confused. "When I woke you, you said that the living room was too big and you couldn't feel it moving."

She sucked her lip between her teeth nervously and considered how to answer. Damn robots and their playback memory.

"You know how people have sea legs, I guess I have air legs. It's weird to not feel like we are moving." She figured it wasn't really a lie, just not the real answer to his question.

"I know what you mean. I like the feeling of being on the move," Grant replied, he too was missing the gentle hum of their regular home.

"I miss the team too. I mean, I know it's only been a few days, but I wonder what they are up too. It's weird to not see Jemma making tea in the morning, or May doing her Tai Chi," she smiled at the thought of the people that were quickly becoming like family to her.

"It's only a week," he promised, though in truth he was itching to get back out in the field. Grant was not the kind of man to take vacations. He liked to keep himself busy. As much as playing house with Skye was fun, he yearned to get back to work.

"Do you have anything planned for tomorrow?" she asked, trying to focus on enjoying what was left of their vacation.

"I want to take you somewhere, but it's kind of a long way, so we would have to leave early," he wasn't sure if his plan was a good one or not. He almost hoped that she would refuse to get up that way he didn't have to decide.

"How early?" she asked suspiciously.

"Leaving the apartment at 0800 at the latest."

Knowing that everything Grant had planned thus far, had revealed something new about him to her, she agreed, if only to add one more thing to the file in her mind that was labeled Grant Ward.

That night, long after Grant had fallen asleep, Skye stayed awake staring her computer screen. She once again found herself in his closet, trying to keep her keystrokes quiet so she didn't wake the light sleeper in the next room. She had tried to work at the kitchen table, but the room was so empty. There were too many dark corners for an attacker to hide. In her van, she felt safe, only one way in or out, no way someone could sneak up on her. On the bus, they were constantly moving, there was no one on the plane except the team that she trusted with her life.

But here in the living room of Grant's near empty apartment, she felt vulnerable. Every flicker of a street light, every honk of a car on the street, set her teeth on edge. She knew it was irrational, Grant would protect her with his life, he had on many occasions but she still itched at the lack of movement. There was a feeling that at any moment someone would burst in the door and take her away.

So, once again she found herself in the closet, scrolling through computer code and trying to find anything to keep her mind from wondering how long it would take for Ward to realize how broken she truly was. Once he knew, how long it would take for him to send her packing. At least she had her bag ready.

"You know if you went to bed at night, you might actually enjoy waking up in the morning," came a steady voice from the doorway. She looked up to see an odd mixture of emotions on her boyfriend's face. He was tired, confused, and possibly a little hurt. "You know 0700 is only a few hours away, right?"

Skye blinked her eyes several times, her laptop told her it was nearly 4am.

"Gaaa, I'm sorry Grant, I swear I didn't realize it was so late," she yawned.

"Does that mean you're coming to bed?"

"MMMM, yeah," she squinted, shutting the computer and taking his hand as he helped her to her feet, but even tucked into Grant's warm arm's Skye couldn't shake the feeling that this was all too good to be true.


	6. Secrets from the Past

The next morning, or rather a few hours later, Skye was pulled to consciousness by the smell of coffee. She opened her eyes and there sitting on the night stand was a fresh hot Starbucks caramel latte. She looked around for Grant, but he was nowhere to be see. She looked at her phone, 6:55.

I guess I should just get up, she thought. Picking some fresh clothes from her bag, and heading to the shower.

By 7:15 she was ready to search for her missing boyfriend.

"Grant?" she called.

"In here," he called from the kitchen.

When she got to the kitchen, she wrapped her arms around Grant's waist. "Thanks for the coffee." She pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"No problem," he smiled, turning to deepen the kiss. "You want some breakfast?"

Skye looked at what he was preparing and wrinkled her nose. "Why are there always so many vegetables in your food?" she whined.

"Food is fuel, you have to fuel your body with things that will make it run well."

"But coco puffs do make me run well," she pouted.

"Is that why you threw up coco puffs after that mission in Prague?" he teased.

"Hey, you swore you would never speak of that."

"Would you like an omelet or not?" he ignored her whining, knowing that it was halfhearted at best. She liked to push his buttons, but in the end she was always sneaking food from his plate.

"Oh, fine, but only if you already made enough, I don't want to put us behind schedule." she huffed, releasing him and moving to sit on the counter and watch him cook. "Are you going to tell me where we're going yet?"

"No," he answered, he was still half hoping that she would change her mind about coming.

"Okay… Well, do you want to see a video of a kid dressed in a tiger suit, playing with a baby tiger through the glass at the zoo?"

"Is that what you do all night, look at random crazy stuff online?"

"It's not all I do, well sometimes, but I do plenty of badass super hacking too," she defended her precious technology.

"I know, you are the queen of the keyboard," he chuckled. "So, is the kid like in a tony the tiger costume or like a real tiger?"

Three and a half hours later, Skye was bored. They had been in the car for so long, and she just wanted to listen to some music, but Grant was listening to an audiobook.

"How much further?" she asked when she felt she couldn't sit still anymore.

"Almost there," Grant answered but there was a strange tone in his voice, almost sad. The sound gave her the feeling that this wasn't a fun day trip, this was a serious 'I am showing you a part of me' trip. Knowing that Grant hated sharing things, even his toothbrush, she decided to try and be understanding about whatever was about to come her way.

Half an hour later, they pulled up to a field in the middle of nowhere. There was nothing growing in any direction for at least a mile, and the only thing that broke up the view of dirt in every direction is a headstone in the ground a few yards away. She was dying to ask a million questions, but she bit her lip to keep them in. she followed silently as he walked over to the stone.

Gideon Alexander Ward

Agent, Husband, Father, Hero

March 3, 1955 - January 6, 1989

After what seemed like a lifetime, Grant finally spoke, "It wasn't until he was gone that things went bad."

She didn't know what to say so she just nodded understandingly.

"Before that, he was gone a lot for work obviously, but when he was home life was good. We went to ball games, and he fixed things around the house, and he taught me how to speak French." He half smiled at the memory, before wincing at the following thought. "And then one day I came home from school and there was a SHIELD vehicle in the drive way." He paused again but then continued. She had to know.

"It's stupid now, thinking about it, but I thought he had made it home for my birthday. I ran inside, but instead of him, my Uncle Charlie, his partner, was sitting on the floor holding my mother, who was crying so loud that I have no idea how I didn't notice it before then."

By that point, Skye could literally feel her heart trying to jump from her chest to somehow stop all the pain pouring out of this person that she cared so much for. But instead of trying to stop him, she just took his hand, squeezing it gently to let him know that she was there for him.

"At the funeral, Uncle Charlie told us that we had to be strong for our mom. That we would all have to help out, and that Jared, my older brother, was the man of the house now. Mom got a job. She started working all the time. I think she worked to keep her mind off of missing him, but she was gone so much that Jared just got away with more and more." Grant turned to her with unshed tears in his eyes.

"I did everything I could to protect my little brother, Joey, but I didn't know" he begged her to believe him, forgive him, but the story wasn't over. "I didn't know that every time I saved him, it only made Jared that much angrier. He hated that there was someone there to take care of Joey, to look out for him. Jared was so angry at our dad for getting killed, for leaving him to be in charge, that I didn't realize that he was barely keeping himself together, until…" Grant took a shaky breath. "I think he was trying to get us to understand that the only person we could count on was ourselves, but he just didn't have a heart anymore. One day, we were at my grandparent's old farm, and I heard this sound. By the time I got to the barn, he was dead. He had hung himself. I couldn't save him."

"Oh Grant," Skye gasped, clutching him to her. "It wasn't you job to save him. You couldn't have known, it wasn't your fault."

Grant stood there on the side of the road, trying to keep it together, as the person he loved tried to process his deepest regret. After a long while, he said that they should probably head back, they had a long drive home. On the ride home, neither said much of anything.

When they got back to the house, Grant made dinner, and they watched a movie. Everything was the same as always, and yet it wasn't. The weight of his revelation weighed on both of them. He feared rejection that she would see that he wasn't the man she thought. While, she was terrified at the strength of her feelings for him, because there on the road to nowhere she had realized that she would have rather died than let Grant hurt like that. That after a lifetime of promising herself that she would guard her heart, she had failed. Skye was in love with Grant Ward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well aware that this totally doesn't fit cannon, but when I wrote it we didn't know much about about Ward's back story, so this is what I made up.


	7. Routine

By the fourth morning Skye was used to waking to the sound of a heavy bag being pounded into submission. She rolled over onto Grant's pillow, which was cool and smelled like him, and tried to catch a few more hours of sleep.

At nine, she woke to the smell of a fresh hot latte. She drank half the cup, before going to see what Grant was up to.

"Is this going to become a thing?" she asked gesturing at her coffee cup. "Because a girl could get used to room service."

Grant looked up from the book he was reading. "We are on vacation and my run circuit goes by, so it's a vacation thing," he clarified.

"Oh, okay good, I was going to ask you how you would get me a latte at forty thousand feet," she teased. He rolled his eyes at her, as she moved to sit on the arm of his chair, reading over his shoulder. "So, what's on the agenda for today, oh early bird?"

"No plans," he answered, putting the book down and pulling her into his lap. "What do you want to do?"

She thought for a few minutes before she had an idea, "We could go shopping!"

"Skye you have five times as many clothes as I do, what could you possibly need?" he sighed, he hated shopping with a burning passion. All the people and crowds and waiting in lines, made him tense and edgy.

"It's not what I NEED, it's what I want!" she grinned like a kid on Christmas. "They just released the new Piston, and I haven't gotten one yet."

He stared at her, clearly confused.

"It's a badass gaming console. It has 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of SSD storage…" she explained excitedly.

"So, I was right about you, ya sweaty cos-play nerd," he tickled her mercilessly. She giggled and gasped until she could barely breathe.

"It's… it's not like… it's not like that," she gasped out, "come on, you asked."

"You're right, I did ask what you wanted to do, I guess I just thought you would pick something fun," he finally stopped tickling her.

"Hey Man, I went to a museum with you," she raised her eyebrows for emphasis.

"You said it was fun," he reminded her.

"I said it was cool, okay? And I was being nice, it was interesting like a documentary, not the worst time I have ever had surrounded by antiques, but not what I would describe as fun," came her quick retort. She knew that computers weren't Grant's favorite, but she had done what he wanted for a few days, so she felt like he should return the favor. "All I'm asking is a hour at Fry's?"

She gave him a look with those big doe eyes and he knew he was going to spend the afternoon at the electronics store.

"Oh, they didn't have these the last time," she called as she nearly skipped down the aisle, her fingers drifting over packages with undue reverence. "Grant! Grant, look, it's the modulator I need time repair AC's vintage watch."

He gave her an indulgent smile, as his eyes planned the room for exits. There were five ways out of this prison, but all of them would land him in hot water. He checked his watch for the fourth time. They had been there for TWO hours. He didn't know how it was possible, but she just kept finding things to get excited about.

He was watching a guy in the next aisle try to figure out how to remove the anti-theft tag from a laptop, when suddenly Skye was in his arms, her arms wrapped around his neck.

"I'm sorry," she kissed his cheek. "The time got away from me, I haven't been able to do a supply run in a while, what with all the living at forty thousand feet business. We can go now, I can requisition everything else I need."

Grant looked at the full cart and couldn't imagine what the hell else she could possibly need, but he was thrilled that they were finally going to get out of there. As they were leaving, Ward pointed out the guy walking toward the door with a laptop in his jacket to the manager and they were headed home.

"Do you want to go out tonight?" she asked when they got back to the apartment.

"I was thinking that we could stay in," he answered. "I could make you dinner. We could watch that movie with the guy from Die Hard."

"But we did that last night, and we only have a few days left. I want to go dancing," she explained excitedly, dancing around the apartment a little, as if to prove the point.

"Come on, babe. I'm tired. Let's stay in tonight, and maybe tomorrow we can go out dancing," he said moving to the kitchen to figure out what to make for dinner. He didn't want to tell her that he was getting a headache, and the last thing he need was to be surrounded by loud music and overly handsy people.

Skye was irritated. On the bus, she was used to not being able to go where she wanted, but she was in the city now, and she really wanted to get out and burn off some energy. She missed going out. She missed the people watching, and the way she could get lost in the beat. She had been sneaking into clubs since she left the orphanage. She loved the way that she could disappear in the crowd and just exist without people expecting anything from her.

Finally, she went into the kitchen, "Grant, I want to go out tonight, and if you want to stay home that's fine, but I am going."

He didn't even look up from whatever he was chopping, "Fine, have fun, and make sure to watch your back."

She stared at his back for a long time before turning to go pick something to wear. They ate dinner in near silence. After which she washed and he dried the dishes without a word spoken.

"Do you know where you're going?" he asked, from the doorway to the bathroom when she went to get ready. She was wearing a bright coral sleeveless cocktail dress that swished around as she pinned her hair up. Grant was surprised that she was wearing her hair up, she never did that. It made her look different, less the innocent girl from the van, more like the dangerous woman he knew her to be.

"I was going to meet my friend, Amber. Her boyfriend is a bouncer at this place called Galaxy," she answered. "I'll have my phone, and I should be home by 2 at the latest, but don't feel like you have to wait up, I don't want you to turn into a pumpkin."

He nodded, staring at her for a few more minutes before returning to the living room.

When she came to say goodbye, she had added heels and her leather jacket. She looked gorgeous, but Grant's headache had only gotten worse, so there was no way he was leaving the apartment. Instead he gave her a kiss, and told her he hoped she would have a good time.

For the first hour, Skye had missed him, but then she had a few shots and started dancing with Amber, and she next thing she knew they were announcing last call. She checked her phone, sure enough it was nearly 3 am. She quickly made her excuses to Amber and thanked her boyfriend, Hank, for the great night, before hailing a cab.

As soon as she was in the cab she realized that she was starving. Four hours of dancing had been quite a work out. She asked the cab to stop by in-n-out. She was munching on fries, when she open the apartment door, only to be greeted by a very angry Grant.

"Where the hell have you been?" he nearly growled.


	8. Fight or Flight

"What are you doing up?" she asked completely ignoring his annoyingly possessive question.

"I'm up, because the woman I love, told me she would be home by 2 AM, and it is now," he checked his watch, "3:37 AM and I didn't know what the hell had happened to you, but now I see that you stopped for a heart attack in a bag, while I was worrying that you were dead in an alley somewhere!"

Skye just stared at him, the first part of his rant sucking all the air from her lungs. The woman he Loves? He had to mean her, but that couldn't be right. Nobody loved her. Her mind started racing. He thought he loved her. Didn't he know that they couldn't really be together? Wasn't that like the rule? They were playing house this week, but next week they would be back on the bus. Back to the denial and ignoring. They couldn't be in love.

Grant had been worried sick. He knew he should have just sucked it up and gone out with her. Then he wouldn't have had to wonder where she was and who she was with. Now god was punishing him by making her come back over an hour late, reeking of booze and grease and the first thing he did was yell at her. When he was finally yelled out he really looked at her. She was a little sweaty and disheveled, probably from dancing, but her face was getting greener by the second.

"I going to…" she covered her mouth and ran for the bathroom, shutting and locking the door before he could follow her in. If the sounds coming from the bathroom were any indication, Grant figured the end of her sentence was 'be sick'.

Skye vomited several times. She couldn't breathe. She literally felt like an elephant was sitting on her chest. This wasn't supposed to be like this. This wasn't supposed to be serious. She didn't know how they had gone from fooling around on the mats in the cargo hold, to him professing his love in an angry rant. She blamed the nausea on the alcohol, but really it was likely from stress. Skye lay on the bathroom floor, her head spinning.

After a while Grant couldn't stop himself from checking on her, "You okay in there?"

Skye tried to take a deep breath, only to be hit by another wave of nausea, "I think I am just going to take a shower."

Grant paced the halls, worried about the woman locked in the bathroom. He knew she was mostly responsible for her predicament, but he couldn't not worry for her.

"Can you unlock to door, so if you pass out I don't have to break down the door?" he asked, almost instantly he heard the click of the door unlocking.

Resisting the urge to go in, he went to the kitchen to make some coffee.

A few minutes later, he heard Skye moving through the apartment. When she joined him in the kitchen, she had changed into yoga pants and a sweater.

"Here, you probably need this," he said shoving a cup into her hand. She looked down at it, realizing that even when he was mad at her, he was still caring for her. Maybe he really did love her. What did that mean though? She couldn't love him the way he deserved. She would just end up hurting him, like everyone else in his life.

"I told you not to wait up. I didn't realize that you would be worried. I didn't even really realize how late it was until they called last call," she tried to explain. She wasn't sorry for going out, just sorry that she had caused him to worry for nothing.

"You didn't honestly think that I could sleep knowing you were out doing god knows what with god knows who?" he fumed.

Her eyes narrowed at his insinuation, "You knew where I was, AND who I was with. If you were worried you could have texted or called."

"The phone works both ways, babe. If you weren't too busy 'dancing', you might have thought to call and let me know you were running late."

"Yeah, well I thought you were SLEEPING. Mr. Fun Machine is usually snoring by 10," she replied using her usual snark to hide that she was hurt by what he was suggesting.

"How would you know? You sleep in the closet!" he retorted. He didn't know why he kept finding her there, but it was starting to grind on his nerves. He thought that this week would help them learn more about each other, but she kept shutting him out.

She blinked back tears, "I am going to go to bed now, before either of us says anything we will regret."

Ward just nodded. 

By the time he got to the bedroom she was asleep on the far edge of the bed. He knew that he had been a little harsh, but he was so frustrated. They could try again in the morning, when they were both a little calmer. As he thought over the whole fight, he realized that he had blurted out that he loved her. She must not have noticed though, because she never brought it up.

Skye had a fitful night of sleep. She tossed and turned and had to return to the bathroom at one point because she thought she might be sick again. At seven, she woke to the sound of someone punching a heavy bag, he was an hour behind schedule, but the man did not give up his morning workout. She lay in bed, back turned to the door, trying to figure out what to say.

There he was trying to be the perfect boyfriend, cooking meals and cuddling on the couch, but she couldn't just be happy with that. No, she just had to go out, get drunk, and make a fool over herself. She heard him moving around the kitchen, making a protein shake, if his routine held he would leave soon for his morning run.

The more she thought about his declaration and subsequent implication, the more she felt like she was suffocating. She had to get out of there. She looked around, and saw all her things sitting in her duffle bag. She heard him leave, and then she was up and throwing the last of her stuff in her bag. She scribbled a hasty explanation to ensure he wouldn't feel the need to worry about her, and then she locked the door behind herself, called a cab, and a half hour later, she was at the airfield picking up her van headed for the only home she had ever known.

She had almost gone back twice in the first hour of her drive, but she could read the writing on the wall. This thing with them had run its course and now she had to use her last couple days to heal before facing him again. At least no one would know that they had broken up, because no one knew they were together. It is all for the best. It is all for the best. Maybe if she kept repeating it, she would start believing it.


	9. Keeping Promises

Grant got back to the apartment, latte in hand, he felt ready to deal with a hung over, crabby Skye. It wasn't until he saw the bed made that his stomach dropped. He immediately turned to the corner where her bag had been, only to see nothing but an inhaler on the floor.

He went over to it, leaning down to examine the plastic device.

Celine Moreau DOB: 1/1/1985 SereVent

Celine? Was that her real name? He had always known somewhere in the back of his mind that she wasn't really Skye, but to have the evidence of another life in his hand was a little disorienting. He slipped the infuriating reminder in his pocket. In that moment, rage overtook him. How dare she walk out on him? On them? He started searching the apartment for other clues. When he reached the kitchen, there next to the bananas was a piece of paper, a note.

Ward,

This isn't working. You and I are just too different. Maybe in another life we could have had a chance, but here and now, I think it is best that we go back to the way things were. You are my S.O. and I am just a rookie, nothing more. I know that you will want to find me, but please don't bother. I am somewhere safe. I am working on being a better me. You will be fine. It is nothing you did, I just think that we are on different paths. Please, just take care of yourself. I'm so sorry. See you back on the bus.

Skye

Ward sunk to the floor, the note crumpling in his hand. She was gone, really gone. Not only that, she wanted to go back to the way things were. He couldn't go back. He had loved her for too long. Trying to treat her like a coworker would be torture. Did she feel nothing for him? Had everything they shared been completely meaningless to her? He had shared his deepest secrets with her, and she had never even told him her name.

"Not even her damn name," he muttered to himself.

Well, he would not let her walk away that easily. He couldn't accept that she didn't care for him. There were too many things she had done to prove the opposite. Even before that night playing slapjack, she had cared for him more than most. She had saved him when the Peruvians attacked. She had fought for him, when he and Fitz had been left to die. She had held him when the darkness from the staff had nearly destroyed him, and she had never asked for anything in return. Well, now he would fight for her.

He thought about everything he knew about Skye. Not much, she had grown up at St. Agnes, lived in her van, and had a roaming Wi-Fi account. He knew it would cause some questions, but he called Fitz.

"Good morning," came the brogue of the Scottish scientist after two rings.

"Hey, it's Ward, I need you to do me a favor, and I don't want to answer any questions about it," Ward commanded, in his usual authoritative manner.

"Well, hello to you too! I'm fine. Thanks so much for asking," Fitz grumbled. "No, it's Ward, calling about work," he told someone on his end. "Jemma asks if you understand the concept of vacation, or if we should whip you up a relaxing serum?"

"I don't have time for your jokes right now. Skye's gone missing. I need you to trace her roaming Wi-Fi signal."

"What? Jem, Skye's gone missing! No, Ward's on it, Ward how long has she been gone? Do you know who took her? What they wanted?" Fitz asked in a panic.

"No, no she wasn't kidnapped. We had a fight and she ran off," Ward attempted to explain.

"Never mind Jem, don't worry about deploying the retrievers. Ward just scared her off as usual," Leo explained to his partner.

"What are trying to say, 'Ward scared her off as usual' she has never run off before?" Ward questioned.

Jemma took the phone at this point, "Usually she just avoids you for a few days, after your little spats, but we always see a lot more of her, when you two aren't getting along. Now, what did you say, that sent her heading for the hills this time?"

Ward groaned, he did not want to talk about his relationship problems with the wonder twins, "Can you please just ask Fitz to trace her Wi-Fi signal and give me a location?"

"Leo, can you trace Skye's Wi-Fi signal? Prince Charming thinks he will make things better just storming the castle," Jemma asked. "He says that he needs a way to find out what encryption she is using, do you know where she has been staying this week?" she asked Ward.

"She's been at my apartment this whole time," he grudgingly informed her.

"Oh really," Jemma gave a slight cackle, "Leo, I win the pool, she has been at his place the whole time."

"What pool?" Ward asked.

"He says she is on the I-5, near Castaic Lake."

"Thanks guys, and don't tell anyone I asked you about this okay?"

"Of course Grant, just be good to our girl." Jemma made him promise before hanging up.

In a matter of minutes, he was in his car, headed for the I-5. He had a promise to keep.


	10. Seeking council

Sister Mary Katherine had taken care of many children in the years she had been at St. Agnes, but none had touched her heart as much as Celine Moreau. Maybe it was the fact that she had been the one to take her from the battered agent all those years ago. Maybe it was that Celine was one of the few children who spent most of her life at the orphanage. Then again maybe there was just something about sweet caring little Celine that just tugged at her heartstrings. Maybe in this way god had provided the child she could never have. In any case, when after ten years, she saw Celine sitting in the sanctuary her heart skipped a beat.

It took three and a half hours and two red bulls to reach her destination, but Skye was home. She looked up at the crucifix on the wall and the stained glass windows sparkling in the noon light and felt an odd mix of emotions. Part of her was contented to be in a place where she felt safe and at home. Part of her felt empty, noticing little changes that had taken place in the ten years she had been gone. She doubted anyone would even remember her with all the children that had come and gone since she had left. The biggest part of her felt like crying.

She had barely slept the night before and now she was just so damn tired she felt like she would fall apart at any minute. She was so tired of trying to keep everyone at arm's length. Tired of hiding what little she knew of herself, but who would care? So much of her childhood took place here. She had learned to tie her shoes on her own, to make a volcano for her fourth grade science fair on her own and learned how to survive on her own. This place was supposed to be temporary, but for Skye it was the only constant she had ever known. Yet as she looked around, she was faced with the fact that even here, things had changed.

How could she believe in love, when everything changed? Sure, Ward thought he loved her today, but what about tomorrow? What about when they were back on the bus and she failed on a mission? Would he love her then, or would he blame her and walk away like everyone else?

The thought of Ward not being a part of her life was too painful. The air was sucked from her chest, as she began to feel like she couldn't breath. She couldn't get the weight from her chest. The dam broke and silent tears hit kneeler as she tried in vain to hold herself together.

"Celine, my dear, what could possibly be as bad as all this?" Mary Katherine asked, finally shaking the girl's shoulder to get her attention.

"I'm sorry I shouldn't be here, I'll go," Skye said, without looking up.

"No, please, a burden shared is a burden halved?" the sister continued to try to calm her charge.

At that same old familiar turn of phrase, Skye looked up into the older woman's eyes, "Katherine?"

"Yes dear, now what is the trouble that has got you in such a state?" the sister asked sitting on the pew and taking her dear Celine's hand.

"I think I found a family," Skye whispered.

"That's wonderful dear, why would you cry about that?"

"What if I let them in, but then they see that I'm not good enough? What if no one ever loves me?"

"Nonsense, I have told you many times that you are so much more than you realize. I have loved you since the first moment I saw you."

"You have?" She breathed.

"Of course, I wanted you to have a family, but part of me always thought of you as my own. I never told you this, but I was the one who brought you here. A woman was pacing outside the gate one evening when I was returning from an outing. She was clearly in distress. When I got closer I saw that she had suffered a stab wound and I tried to convince her to come in and let me help, but she insisted she couldn't. She handed you to me and told me that she would try to come back, but she never did. After a month, I had to start looking for a home for you, I gave you a name, my sister's name, but I never forgot the woman who brought you here. I stayed here all these years, so that if she ever came back, I could help her find you. I didn't want to tell you, because I didn't think you would be able to hear such a tale, but now, I am sure that whoever the woman was, she would want you to be happy with this new family."

Skye gaped at the women she had known nearly all her life. On one hand she was angry that Katherine had kept this information from her, but on the other she began to look at the women in a new light. Katherine had devoted her life to the church, but in a way she had also devoted herself to Skye, who had never even realized how much she meant to the older woman.

"But what about me? What if I'm just not capable of love?" Skye wondered.

"Honestly child, what is it that I always say? Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is Love and you my dear have known God all your life."

"Do you really think that I could be a part of a family?"

"Oh Celine, you are one of the most loving people I have ever known," the Nun squeezed her hand. "Do you remember that Everly girls?"

"Of course, they came when I was ten, they were just babies really and so scared and alone," Skye remembered.

"And you would not leave their side until their family could be arranged," Katherine encouraged her to think of the little ones Celine had cared for so tenderly.

"Well, what else could I have done?"

"What others did, dear, you could have let them go on, scared and alone in a strange place," the sister reminded her.

"But I knew what that was like, I couldn't let them suffer," Skye insisted.

"And that, my dear, is because of the love and kindness God has put in your heart."

"There's a guy," Skye murmured.

"There always was with you," the nun chuckled.

"No, no, not like that, I think I could love him," she explained, smiling at the thought of Grant. "He said that he loves me, but I don't know if I can trust him."

"You don't know, or you are afraid?"

Skye thought for a moment, "I'm afraid," she whispered, but keen ears at the back of the sanctuary heard. Grant had broken several traffic laws, but when he saw where Skye had stopped, he knew that going in angry wouldn't help. Now, as he heard the woman he loved admit that she was afraid to love him, his heart broke a little. He listened closely to the older woman's response.

"Afraid of what, dear?"

Skye gulped air, trying to name the exact fear that was plaguing her, "I'm afraid that he fell for a fake me, and that one day when he realizes that I'm not her, I will be alone again."

"Have you been deceitful in your relationship?"

"No, but he is seeing the me that I am surrounded by positive influence, working hard, being constantly pushed to do more. One day he will see that the regular me, who always seems to fall short. Then what?"

"And has this man never know defeat? Has he never struggled?"

"Of course he has struggled, but he always seems to get through it without me, where I need his help constantly," Skye explained. Grant had to tighten his jaw to keep from contesting such a ridiculous statement. He need her all the time. He needed her to temper his moods and infuse his life with fun. Without her, his life had been beige. Get up, train, do a mission, go home, maybe there was the occasional fling with another agent, but none compared to Skye.

"Have you ever thought that your mere presence eases his burdens?"

"No, I have tried, but I don't know how to be what he needs, that's why I left," she admitted sadly.

"You ran away?"

"I left a note," Skye defended herself.

"Meaning you snuck out without even saying goodbye?"

"I didn't want to him to talk me out of going..."

"If you knew he could convince you to stay? Maybe you didn't want to go that badly."

"It wasn't that I wanted to go, it was that I needed to, he said he loved me like it was the most obvious thing in the world, but he doesn't even know me," Skye sighed.

"People can only know you as much as you let them," Katherine replied, and Grant thought she had taken the worlds from his mouth.

"I don't even know me," Skye returned desolately.

"Well, maybe you should think about that for a while dear," the older woman stood and made her way to the back of the chapel, beckoned the man who had followed Celine to follow her instead. She knew her young charge still had some soul searching to do.


	11. Dust and discoveries

Ward followed the nun into her office, taking in his surroundings like any trained agent. There was the usual church iconography, a name bar on the desk read Sister Mary Katherine, and the only picture on the desk was clearly a younger version of the sister holding a small dark haired child.

"I see you have already noticed my preference for my dear Celine," she commented following his gaze. He looked confused for a moment before his hand brushed the inhaler in his pocket and the name clicked into place.

"She is a special girl," he replied. "I'm Grant Ward, by the way."

"Lovely to meet you Mr. Ward, my name is Sister Mary Katherine. What brings you to St. Agnes today?" she asked, though Grant thought she knew exactly why and how long he had been here.

"I came to have a talk with the women you were just speaking to," he answered not knowing exactly what to call her now.

"You must have come a long way. Would you like some tea?" she asked kindly.

"Sure," he replied before years of catholic school manners caused him to correct himself, "Yes, please, Sister, I would very much appreciate some tea."

"Of course you would, dear," she flipped on an electric kettle and searched for some cups in one of her desk drawers. "It is a very funny thing, you showing up to speak to Celine the day that she comes back after being gone ten years."

Grant shifted in his chair. Great, now he looked like a stalker. "The thing is that Skye, I mean Celine, she was living with me until about five hours ago. When I found her note, I figured out where she was, and headed here to try to figure things out."

"What is there to figure out?" the older woman asked gently, handing him his tea.

"I don't even know, I mean she left me this letter," he said, handing her the note, "and then I heard you talking to her and I don't know. I don't know if this thing is even fixable."

Katherine read the letter twice before looking back at the man across the desk from her, "Do you know what I notice about this missive?"

Grant raised an eyebrow, shaking his head.

"Have another look," she said handing the note back to him. This time when he read it, he tried to think like an agent, unemotional, looking for clues. Words like don't bother, another life, a better me, and take care stuck out to him. She didn't say she wanted to go, or that she was unhappy, or even that she didn't care about him. Everything she wrote in the note only showed that she wanted him to be happy, that she thought he was better off without her. He told the older woman this.

"Why do you think she is so certain that she is not right for you?" she continued interrogating him.

"I may have made some accusations that were unfair," he admitted. "She went out and didn't think I would care that she was over an hour late, I was worried sick but she seemed to honestly think I wouldn't even notice."

"I imagine you know her story or at least part of it," she paused and he nodded. "I have known Celine, Skye as you call her, since a little before this picture was taken and you are the first person to ever come here for looking for her."

Grant took this in for a moment, thinking about the little he knew about Skye. It was not a lot, but from what she had let slip, her childhood had been as bad as his. Shuffling from home to home, never being allowed to settle in one place, the realization that he was possible the first person to care if she came home at night was hard to swallow.

"She has always been a solitary person, to be in a committed relationship, it must be quite a change for her," Sister Mary Katherine said gently.

"Not just for her," Grant whispered under his breath.

"Do you know what I think would help in this situation?" the sister asked.

Grant looked at her quizzically.

"I think you two should explore the library," she smiled mischievously.

"Alright then, thank you again for the tea, Sister," Grant tried to excuse himself to go find Skye.

"Katherine, I think I'm going to go now," Skye came barging in, but stopped when her eyes met Grant's. "Hey," she said softly.

"Hey yourself, flight risk," he replied trying to put her at ease with a tease that fell flat.

"I didn't mean…" Skye started to say, only to be interrupted by the sister.

"I was just telling Mr. Ward here about our library. He has an interest in seeing it. Would you be a dear and show him around? I fear I am a bit drained today," the older woman's eyes crinkled at the corners with suppressed excitement.

"I guess?" Skye mumbled, turning to Grant, "Come on, it's this way?"

They walked in silence for a moment before Skye decided to break the stalemate.

"How did you find me?"

"Fitz," he answered, "you could hack from Antarctica but I would still find you."

"Stalker," she accused, but on seeing him flinch she amended her tease, "So, what you're saying is there's no place too far?"

"Well, I don't have access to the Bifrost yet, so if you decide to take up with Thor I'm screwed, but otherwise I will always try to convince you to stay with me," he said, picking up an old dusty manuscript to avoid her gaze.

Skye starred at him, amazed by the level of his commitment to trying to make this work. No one had ever tried this hard to keep her.

"You really love me?" she asked in a small voice.

"You could say that," he said still not meet her eyes.

"Would you say it?" she asked again.

"You have to tell me something first," he replied.

"What?" she asked, thrown by the turn of the conversation.

"Today I found out I don't even know your name. I didn't know your NAME. Tell something about you that you are not sure you want anyone to know, and I will answer your question," he promised.

She looked sad at the realization that Katherine was right. Grant had shared things that were horribly painful for him, and she hadn't even told him the name she was raised with.

"This scar here," she pointed to a small imperfection on her hair line. "This happened when I was five, the first foster home I really remember. The mother's name was Jane. She had a daughter who wanted a playmate and thought I would be a good fit, but the daughter, Anna-Mia, was convinced I had come to take her toys. She broke a snow globe over my head while I was asleep in bed. I had to get three stitches, and Jane told the social worker that I had pulled it off of a shelf onto myself. That they couldn't risk having someone in the house who would damage their property. When I got back here, I told other people the truth, but no one believed me except Katherine. They said it was god punishing me for being naughty." At this point in the story, things began to click in Ward's mind, namely the reason she didn't like sleeping in a wide open space.

"I'm so sorry Skye. I should have been more understanding," he started to say.

"You couldn't have known," she admitted. "You're right, I expect you to share things with me all the time, but I don't often return the favor."

"I did learn something about you today," Grant replied mysteriously, before pulling the inhaler from his pocket. "Don't you think the fact that you have asthma is something your S.O. should know?"

She snatched the device from his hand, taking a puff to try and overcome the amount of dust now in the air.

"Damn, I can't believe I forgot this," she said, taken a shallow breath, "mind if we move this chat elsewhere?"

"Not at all, lead the way, but seriously Skye, what if we were on a mission and you suddenly had an attack?"

"I… I don't know, I imagine I would deal with it," she replied, but even to her, the answer was weak.

"Can we agree that you tell me any important medical information?" he asked, as she led them to the parking lot, pulling open the van door and plopping down on its floor.

"I broke my scapula when I was 15, causing a limited range of motion in my left shoulder," she mentioned like she was filling in a blank on a questionnaire.

"How?" Grant asked, surprised that he had never noticed.

"I'll tell you another day. Let's talk about something else," she insisted, tired of telling sad stories today.

"Is there anywhere good to eat around here?" he asked, having missed lunch.

"Katherine whips up a mean beef with barley soup," Skye said, not quite ready to leave yet.

"Alright then, lead the way," he smiled taking her hand to help her up, "and Skye?"

She stopped moving to look at him.

"I love you."


	12. Lucky

She stared at him for a long moment. He knew she wasn't ready, but the tenderness in her eyes said it all. She loved him too.

"Come on, I'm starved," he said, this time leading her to the entrance. Lunch was, in fact, still being served, so they just grabbed a bowl and sat down with the children. It was a strange thing for Grant to watch Skye interact with the orphans. It was like she knew just what to say to make them laugh and smile. He felt a little awkward sitting in her world surrounded by people and things that seemed second nature to her.

"Ward, Chloe asked if you know any jokes…" Skye said drawing his attention back to the children around the table. A little girl with dark brown hair and hazel eyes eyed him curiously, clearly waiting to hear a joke.

"Knock, knock?" he started the only joke he remembered.

"Who's there?" she asked excitedly.

"Banana,"

"Banana who?"

"Knock, Knock,"

"I think you messed it up," she whispered to him.

"No, no just play along," he assured her.

"Ok, who's there?"

"Banana,"

"Banana who?"

"Knock, Knock,"

"Who's there?"

"Orange,"

She smiled at the change, "Orange who?"

"Orange you glad I didn't say banana?" he teased.

The little girl giggled, "That's a good one!"

Skye snaked her hand into his lap, taking the hand he was not using to eat and giving it a squeeze.

"Are you programed with any other jokes?" she whispered into his ear.

"I know one about a girl from Nantucket," he whispered back, cause her to choke on her water.

"Not the place," she glared, but he could tell she was fighting a smile.

"Maybe later?" he raised an eyebrow in question.

"Maybe," she laughed. "If you're lucky…"

They finished lunch and then said goodbye to Sister Mary Katherine, planning on getting a hotel for the night, instead of making the long drive home. It took no time at all for Skye to use her laptop to book them a room at one of the nicer hotels in town. They rode together in Ward's car, leaving her van at St. Agnes.

"They have mints on the pillow," Skye laughed diving onto the king size bed, snagging a candy and quickly eating it.

Ward smiled at her silly behavior. He was amused by her ability to find happiness in the most mundane things.

"What's with the face?" she asked crawling over to him.

"Nothing, I just missed you," he replied sadly.

"How could you have missed me, we were only apart a few hours?" she asked.

Ward considered his answer. It was true she hadn't been gone that long, but when he came home to an empty apartment, he had been forced to consider a life without her, and it was not a pretty picture. The life he had lived before meeting the team was dark, lonely and monotonous. The idea of being on the bus, walking past her bunk, and not being able to stop in was unthinkable.

"I don't want to go back to the way it was before," he finally said.

"The way it was when? This week, or on the bus, or before we got together?" she asked.

"Your note said we should go back to the way it was before, just S.O. and rookie, but you were never just a rookie to me. I knew the day I offered to train you that I had feelings for you, but I thought that it was just caring. Then one day I realized that I love you, and I can't go back," he tried to explain.

She looked at him for a long moment, trying to decide how to answer. She had known that this conversation was coming the moment he showed up at St. Agnes, but she still wasn't sure if she had the courage to have it.

"What happens when someone finds out? I mean we have been lucky so far, but it's bound to happen. If this is a thing, what happens when Coulson calls us out for it? Who goes?" Skye asked, dodging the talk about feelings a moment more.

"Goes where?"

"Someone is going to have to leave the team, and I don't want to leave the only family I have, but I don't know how we could do the job without you. There are always other hackers," she replied, as if it were obvious.

"First of all, you are the one who crowned yourself Queen of the Keyboard, we could not just get another hacker. Secondly, there is no rule about agents having a relationship. How else would Fitz and Simmons be on the bus? Lastly, if it would make you feel better we could call Coulson right now and let him know about us, but I don't really think he wants to deal with this on his vacation."

"So, what happens if it doesn't work out?" she asked, still unable to believe that it was that simple.

Ward ground his teeth. She never made it easy.

"As an agent I always have to consider all possible outcomes, but I am hoping it never comes to that. If it does, then I'm sure we can either figure out a way to work together, or I will get a replacement and go back to being a specialist," he sighed.

Skye sucked in a breath, thinking of Grant out on a mission without the team for backup. That was the last thing she wanted.

"I'm sure we could figure out a way to work together," she confirmed the only possibility in her mind. The team would stay together no matter what. "I care about you a lot, Grant. I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you because of me."

"Well then maybe you should have been up training with me all week," he teased, trying to ease the tension of the conversation.

"GAAAAAA, why is it always training with you?" she whined.

"I do have other things on my mind," he replied in a husky tone that made her skin tingle. "Am I lucky?"

"I think so," she smiled, before jumping from the bed into his arms and showing him just how lucky he was.


	13. Bad Girl Shenanigans

Skye woke up at midnight. They had checked into the hotel at 4 in the afternoon and after they talked and made up, twice, she had fallen asleep, exhausted from a trying few days. So much for their time off being relaxing. She knew it was her fault for running off, and she was touched that he had come after her, but now their time was almost up.

"You're thinking too loudly," Ward murmured, still half asleep.

"I'm hungry," she said turning in his arms to face him.

"What time is it?" he asked.

"Midnight," she replied glumly, knowing the chance of them finding a snack now was slim. "I left my pop tarts in the van, and I doubt anything is open now."

"They have room service here," he said, now more coherent and hungry himself.

"Yeah, but the kitchen closed hours ago," she reminded him.

"But they have a kitchen..." 

"But it's CLOSED."

"Babe, I have broken into the Kremlin. I think I could manage a late night kitchen raid," he winked at her and her eyes lit up.

"Bad girl shenanigans!" she called excitedly jumping out of bed.

He gave her an eye roll and got out of bed, ready to go forage for his love.

"But what about your whole no stealing thing," she suddenly thought out loud.

"You can't hack their billing system and add a few things to our bill?" he asked.

"You think of everything." She grinned pulling on a black turtle neck and black pants, "I'm ready for stealth mode."

Ward had thought he would go on his own, but the excitement on her face told him he would have backup. He pulled on some clothes and got ready for their mission. It was as easy as he thought it would be to find the kitchen. In no time at all, he had whipped up sliders, while Skye flitted through the kitchen humming the mission impossible theme. In her jaunt around the kitchen she had found some ice cream in the deep freeze. They ate their snack quickly, and worked together to get all the evidence washed and put away. It wasn't until they were walking down the service hall to leave that they were caught.

"You're not supposed to be here," called a bellboy, clearly just out of high school.

"I'm sorry," Skye immediately said, frowning at the boy. "My husband has a really bad sleep walking habit. I talked to the manager about it and he said no one would bother him. Being the youngest senator in California history, I thought his privacy would be respected here."

"I'm so sorry, Ma'am. I had no idea. Mr. Senator, sir, please excuse me," the boy mumbled.

"Don't talk to him. He is sleeping. Don't you know it is dangerous to wake a person who is sleep waking! You had better get out of here and back to your post," she replied, with barely suppressed mirth. The boy turned and practically ran back the way he had come. "Come on, honey," she turned to a shocked Ward, quickly pulling him to the elevators before anyone else stopped them.

When they got back to the room, Skye collapsed on the bed in a fit of giggles.

"Where on earth did that come from?" Grant asked, flopping down beside her.

"I was think about a back story the whole time. That was what I came up with," she replied.

"Senator?" he asked amused by her imagination.

"You always seem a little powerful and authoritative in a suit," she explained.

"I see, and the husband bit?"

"A senator sneaking around with his girlfriend is news, but an annoyed wife is just everyday occurrence."

"And you thought I thought of everything," he chuckled.

"Well, maybe we are a good team then," she smiled. "You think of everything and I think of everything else."

"Sounds good to me," Grant smiled, leaning in to kiss his clever girl.


	14. Last Day of Freedom

"It's our last day of freedom, Mr. Senator. What should we do?" Skye asked, as she munched some toast from their breakfast tray of room service.

"A very good question, Mrs. Senator. We could head home and get the apartment packed and cleaned," Skye wrinkled her nose and stuck out her tongue, "or we could meet my little brother and his wife at Magic Mountain?"

"Oh My God, YES!" she squeaked excitedly, jumping from her chair into his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck, kissing him several times.

"Alright, alright, if we are going to get there before noon, we have to get this train in gear."

Three hours later, they pulled up to the theme park in separate cars, and walked toward the entrance.

"I got a text from Joey. They are just getting some food. We could meet up with them and grab something to eat before we start doing rides," Ward offered, paying for their tickets.

"Sounds good to me," Skye smiled. She could not wait to meet Joey Ward. She had spent the drive coming up with a million questions to ask about her boyfriend.

In no time, they were in front of Teen Titan Tower Pizza. Skye spotted the younger Ward through the crowd. He looked like a less muscled version of her Ward, except his hair was a warmer brown and his eyes were hazel with hints of green. Her suspicions were confirmed when the man in question, nearly tackled Ward in a hug.

"Bro, it is so awesome to see you!" the younger Ward said, then turned to Skye, putting out a hand to shake. "Hi there, I'm Joey, the handsome brother, as you can tell and you must be Grant's girlfriend Skye, who he can't shut up about."

"Well, if I must be," she replied with a smile, shaking his hand and eyeing the woman who was now hugging Ward.

"This is my wife Stephanie," Joey smiled, wrapping his arm around the woman shoulder. Stephanie Ward was a little taller than Skye but still much shorter than the Ward brothers. She had her auburn hair pulled into a ponytail and was wearing shorts and a blue tank top that made her eyes seem like the exact color of the sky on a perfect cloudless day.

"Great to meet you, Stephanie," Skye smiled shaking the woman's hand.

"You too, I have heard some much about you. It's great to finally have a face for the name. We were beginning to think you didn't exist," Stephanie teased. Skye saw Ward roll his eyes.

"I told them we were busy with work, but they never believe me," he sighed.

"Well, if it weren't for the fact that you went with Nicki Christakis to the prom, we would wonder if you knew any women at all," Joey continued ribbing his older brother.

"You're the first girlfriend we ever met, and I have known Grant since he was eight years old, helping Joey here sell lemonade to all the suckers on our block," Stephanie explained.

"Hey," Joey whined, "that was good lemonade. I squeezed lemons until my hands were sore."

"Too bad you forgot to add sugar," his wife reminded him, causing both Wards to blush.

"I don't like things too sweet," Grant mumbled.

"It's true," Skye confirmed. "He won't even eat cookie dough with me."

"Raw eggs can make you sick," Stephanie, Joey and Grant all chorused, only for Grant to scowl, and the other two to snicker.

"Some things never change," Joey laughed. "Are you to ready to get some pizza, and then watch Grant puke his guts out?"

"I think Ward will be fine. I have seen him do some crazy things without breaking a sweat," Skye defended her boyfriend without giving away specifics of their unusual lifestyle.

"Oh Skye, have I ever told you about the time my mom took us to Coney Island?" Joey chuckled.

They all heard the story of a young Grant puking after a rough time on the tea cups, as they munched on pizza in line for the first ride of the afternoon. They watched as the people ahead of them were flung through the Green lantern twists and turns with excitement from three and dread from one. Ward was seriously worried that he would toss his metaphorical cookies. It was a good thing he loved his family and Skye as much as he did, or he would already be in the car, headed home for some light reading. Luckily his fears were unfounded as the crew managed to ride 14 roller coasters without anyone losing their lunch and later dinner.

Skye was thrilled that she had ridden all of the super hero themed rides, including the Riddler's Revenge twice. Not to mention, she had heard lots of stories of Ward's past from Joey and Stephanie. She liked them, and she was excited when they invited her to join Grant the next time he came to visit. The day passed happily, but before long the couples had to part ways. They agreed to meet for breakfast the next morning before Skye and Grant had to return to the Bus, but they were sad to see each other go.

That night after showers, a late night snack and a good tucking in, Skye lay in bed staring at the ceiling.

"Are you awake?" she whispered.

"It's nearly midnight, what do you think," came a grumpy reply from the other side of the bed.

"Never mind," she sighed.

"What's on your mind, night owl?"

"I was afraid of the apple pie man from strawberry shortcake growing up," she said quietly.

Grant tried to process this information, not sure what exactly she was getting at, "Like you were afraid he would come out of the TV, or there was someone that reminded you of him in real life?"

"Like I found out a ton about you today, and I thought you should know that as a kid my favorite show was strawberry shortcake. The only thing I didn't like about it was that stupid apple pie man. I have always hated apple pie," she huffed.

"Alright, good to know. I guess that's one less thing to make on Thanksgiving," he replied filing the information away, happy that she had finally shared something, even if it was relatively small.

"Also, when I was seven I lived with a family, the Wyatt's, who lived in the country. It was really nice with them. I got my own room, and they had a dog, Penelope. It didn't work out, but I always said when I grew up and got a house with a yard, that I would have a dog, a fawn colored Great Dane, named Atticus."

Again Grant processed the information, it wasn't much, but it lead him to a nice little picture of the two of them in a house in the country with a big dog named Atticus.

"I can live with that," he agreed. "I never had pets really growing up, but I think a dog would be nice, if it had a yard to play in."

"Do I get coffee in the morning?" Skye asked.

"Will you be here when I get back, if I go to get you a coffee?" he returned.

Skye felt a little ashamed of her behavior. She knew he was half joking, but she also knew she had hurt him by running away.

"I promise I will be here," she replied seriously.

"Then I would be happy to get you a coffee in the morning, after all it will be your last morning without morning PT," he grinned.

"Gaaaaa, why do you take pleasure in torturing me?" she whined.

"Maybe I just like the idea of have you trapped under me on the mats," he smiled deviously.

"Well, why didn't you say so Agent Ward," she giggled, "if that was what you were after, I think something could be arranged right now."


	15. Better Together

By the time Skye woke up the next morning, Grant had packed his things and cleaned most of the apartment.

"You should have woken me," she said joining him in the kitchen, where he was examining the contents of the fridge.

"I was going to in a bit. We need to leave in an hour if we are going to meet Joey and Steph for breakfast," he replied throwing out some leftovers.

"Have you already done everything to get the apartment all set?" she asked.

"Just the bedroom and bathroom left," he answered, standing up and kissing her good morning. "Your coffee's on the table."

"You are a prince, Grant Ward. I don't care what Coulson says about you," she teased as she skipped over to the table.

"I know you are trying to get me worked up, so I'm going to ignore that little comment, but I would hope you aren't talking about me with the boss."

"Worried AC likes me better than you?"

"Oh, I know he does, but that doesn't mean I need you whispering in his ear every time I tick you off."

"Fine, I guess I will go grab a shower, I can clean the bathroom while I'm in there," she offered.

"Sounds good, I will get the bed made, and be ready to roll."

Breakfast went well. The Ward brothers were quite entertaining, as they reenacted the battle of Bull Run with condiments. Skye would have been happy to spend a few more days with them but work couldn't be put off any longer. After heartfelt hugs all around, Skye and Ward made their way back to the airfield were the team was meeting. They were grabbing their bags when Simmons came running down the ramp.

"Skye, Ward, we are so glad to have you back," she grinned wrapping them both in a hug.

"Some more than others," Fitz commented blandly, giving them a wave.

"May is already in the briefing room. Coulson was here, but he had to take a call from the Director," Simmons started.

"So we imagine there is a case," Fitz finished.

"Just let us drop our bags in our bunks and we will meet you there," Ward said, excited to get back to business.

"Hey guys! What he means is, wow, we missed you too! So glad to be back. Had a great vacation. Hope you did too. Now, let's go blow something up," Skye said in her growly Ward voice.

"It's a bit more nasally," Grant teased in an English accent as he headed for his bunk.

Simmons and Fitz stared after them in shock. What a difference a week makes, they both thought and it had. In the week that they had spent together, Skye and Grant had gone from people who barely acknowledged their relationship, to a couple. They announced it to the team that night after a quick trip to the Congo to deal with a carnivorous plant that was destroying the jungle. They still fought. Sometimes they fought over silly things, like the time Grant ate the last hostess cupcake. Sometimes it was more serious, like the time Skye pushed Grant out of the way of an attacker and ended up with sixteen stitches from the resulting stab wound. On more than one occasion they had taken time apart, but they always managed to work it out because they knew that they were better together.


End file.
